Jonathin Quackup, Issue 2

2019-01-03

After reading the first issue of Jonathin Quackup of the Planet Weralt, I was eager to pick up the next book in the series. But I wanted to wait and savor these books like an excellent steak. So I waited to read the second book and instead thumbed through the first book multiple times to extract all the beauty and depth of that book. Yet it was time to move onto the second book in the series. So I opened the book on my Surface Book and found a comfortable place to consume the story and artwork.

Just like the first book, the second one was intriguing, and it captured my attention. Letting my eyes soak up the cover my mind was ready for action and my mind was prepared for the promise of knightly action. Scrolling past the cover I found the first page of the book, and just like before we are given more information about Jonathin in the present. He has taken on the mantle of a wandering hero, and we are dropped into the middle of one of his heroic acts. In the encounter Jonathin quickly is forced to remember his past and the book continues right where the first left off.

With my first pass through the book, I studied the art and took in all of the panels’ details. The artwork of this book goes farther than the first expressing the characters emotions, specifically those of Jonathin. From the Kickstarter campaign I knew that Jonathin’s family was going to die and that fact was definitely foreshadowed in the first book and executed perfectly in this book. The panels perfectly captured the emotional impact of the characters at very critical times.

The pace of the emotional bombshells was broken wonderfully with action and humor, more on that in a second. But the action sequences were beautifully drawn and did what they were supposed to do, they kept me turning the pages. While there were no full-page panels in this issue, there were plenty of pages that I lingered on so I could absorb every detail of the page. My favorite page was the one that has five full-width panels. Each strip is captivating but my favorite one was the second, and it always yanks my eyes to it when I reach that page.

After absorbing the artwork, I went back to the beginning and read the book. Just like with the previous book, the text was wonderfully paired with the art, from the backstory to the final scene. The emotional bombshells were amplified by the text just as the action scenes were heightened. Now as far as the humor of the book, it was epitomized by a vulture wondering just how nutritious one of the dying hawkoid creatures would be.

Taking a step back and looking at the book as a whole I wasn’t disappointed with this entry. It did wonders to advance the plot that started with the first issue, in addition to layering on its own new threads into a single tale. And just as with the first book I wanted to open the latest entry and read it from cover to cover. Yet again just as before my desire to savor these books is so strong that for now, I will content myself with going through this book, again and again, absorbing every detail that I can glean from Jonathin Quackup of the Planet Weralt issue #2.